“You can’t birth breech twins vaginally” – wanna make a bet?

Our beautiful twins made their journey earthside in much the same way the rest of this pregnancy has gone, to the twins plan and agenda, the rest of us just got dragged along for the ride.

Saturday 6th November we spent the afternoon at the hospital. I’d been having braxton hicks on and off since 32 weeks and I’d been losing small bits of my mucus plug. On the Saturday the braxton hicks had been regular and increasing in intensity so we thought it best to get checked out. We were given the all clear, my cervix was still closed and the babies were doing well.

Sunday I had a lovely long hot shower. During the shower I finally let go and surrendered to my body and babies. I had been stressing so much about making the babies turn. I realised that my body is amazing, it was growing 2 babies!! It had birthed 2 babies beautifully, my body and babies knew what they were doing, I just had to let go and trust that they knew the path of this journey even if I didn’t.

On Monday I had my usual appointments, my monitoring appointment wasn’t great, they couldn’t find the heartbeats. Same thing happened when the obstetrician tried with the doppler, so the portable scanner was brought in and eventually heartbeats found. By that point I was exhausted and stressed so when the doctor started talking about scheduling a c-section I wanted it booked asap. C-section was booked for 25th November but I also had a scan scheduled for the next day to confirm the babies positions.

Tuesday and the scan confirmed the babies were still breech. The scan was rough, the disappointment of them still being breech combined with the pain from lying flat on my back, I was so ready for the pregnancy to be over. My best friend and intended support person was planning a holiday and trying to schedule it so she wouldn’t miss the babies’ arrival was seeming to be very difficult. We were concerned that it would happen while she was away, we’d both have been devestated! I sent her an email that night saying that I really didn’t think she’d miss it, I’d wanted to put it in writing so I had full “I told you so” rights.

3am Wednesday morning and Thommo had left for work, I had an urge to call him home but had no reason to do so. Around 3.30-4 braxton hicks started, I kept track of them until just before 4.30, they were irregular so I decided to try and get some sleep. At 4.45am I woke with a sharp pain, felt like a stabbing pain in my cervix. I lay still for a minute before thinking it felt like I needed to go to the toilet. As soon as I started to stand I felt fluid running down my legs, that’s when I realised my waters had broken and quickly sat back down.

I rang Kell “my waters just broke” i giggled when she answered, we were going to meet our babies that day!! I rang Thommo’s work and asked them to get an urgent message to him, then rang my mum. We decided that my mum’s husband would drive mum to our house so she could look after the boys, he would then drive me to the hospital and Thommo would meet us there. I rang the hospital to let them know what was happening and was asked if I was contracting, at that stage no.

Naturally I tweeted and Facebooked the situation in between getting dressed and getting my things together. Contractions started around 5-ish, they were still very irregular though, I’d get 2 close together then have a big gap of 5 minutes or so until the next one.

It felt like it took my mum forever to arrive but finally they did and I was on my way to the hospital. Thommo managed to beat us to the hospital (he must have flown!) by 5 minutes. By the time I arrived contractions were more regular, about 2 minutes apart. We had to enter the hospital via emergency, the triage nurse asked a few questions while we were waiting for an orderly to take us up to birthing. I explained to her that this was my 3rd pregnancy, breech twins and that my last child was born in the emergency department after a speedy labour. Perhaps it was just my perception but she seemed to move a whole lot quicker after that 😉

We arrived in birthing at the same time as another woman was brought in on an ambulance stretcher. There appeared to be only 1 midwife free, she quickly took us to our room then disappeared to get the other woman settled. Within a minute or 2 she was back and asked me to hop on the bed. As soon as I stood up I felt immense pressure and told her I needed to poo. At that stage we were still trying to give her the details of the pregnancy, I don’t think she was even 100% sure on my name!

Another midwife came in and I was assisted onto the bed, the first midwife was fairly calm at that point and asked the 2nd to go and get the registrar because I was feeling pressure. Luckily the registrar was already on the ward with another woman. My legs were put in stirrups so the midwfie could do an exam. 9cms with a lip. She ducked out the door to call for the registrar more urgently. When she came back I shouted “I need to push!”, the midwife told me to just breathe. That’s when the panic button got hit. The midwife ran to the door shouting “Hassan, Hassan!!! Where did he go???!!!”. The registrar appeared (the infamous Hassan!) and the midwife sounding panicked told him I had been 9cm with a lip but was now pushing and the babies were breech, she asked him what to do, “hands off and just watch” replied Hassan.

The atmosphere in the room was intense, people seemed to be pouring in from everywhere but all I could focus on was the intense contractions. My body took over and I was pushing, Thommo was holding both my hands. The “ring of fire” was huge, it felt like someone had doused me in petrol and set me on fire! Unlike my previous births there was no moment of relief that comes after the head is birthed, this time I had to birth the whole body with the head coming last and yes, it HURT!

In the moments of relief after he was born I asked Thommo to check if Kell had arrived yet, he disappeared for a minute before reappearing at my side. The registrar was checking my cervix and trying to ascertain the position of twin 2. I heard him say that I was 6cms. Kell appeared at my side with Ollie snuggled in her arms.

The registrar then called for a c-section, apparently twin 2 wasn’t coming down. Clearly my precious boy had his own ideas, within seconds of the midwife leaving the room to organise the c-section the urge to push hit again. “Go for it” the regsitrar said, so I did. I felt a pop and then heard a splash and Thommo laughed “cop that!”. Apparently twin 2’s sac of waters broke hitting the registrar in the chest with a stream of fluid. Seconds later the burn began again but this time it was much quicker and at 6.08am Sebastian Kelly arrived, weighing 2.59kgs and also measuring 47.5cms. At 6.13am I was given an injection to bring on the placenta although it slithered out at 6.14am so it was probably already on it’s way.

Within minutes I had both boys snuggled on my chest

They spent about 30 minutes on my chest before being taken to special care. Both twins breech. Birthed vaginally. No epidural, not episiotomy, no tears, no forceps. Just my babies and my body. They knew what to do.

Welcome to the world Oliver and Sebastian, you are more precious than we imagined and we are so blessed to have you.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 14th, 2010 at 11:59 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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What a super Mummy you are. I wish my v birth was only one and half hours instead of nine. I only had one breach baby to deal with and you had two. So glad the you got your wish. Congratulations to you and your family. Enjoy every minute with your gorgeous 4 boys.

I don’t know you but I have been wondering about your story since so many wonderful women posted notice of their delight at your sons’ birth all over facebook. Congratulations. It sounds like your boys chose wisely. Blessings for a wondeful baby moon.

Congratulations! That is a brilliant story and I am extremely happy that you had the amazing experience u deserved. I was so captivated throughout the story – why did they take the babies away from you after 30mins?

Oh of course, naturally! I hadn’t actually remembered to think of dates – the reason I asked is because I’m currently 2 months pregnant with twins and am desperately hoping that my little blossoms can avoid needing to go to special -care fingers crossed! Thanks again for sharing such an amazing, encouraging story.

I don’t know you, but wanted to say congratulations. I recently had twins myself at 38 weeks and 5 days. My entire labor was an hour and 10 minutes long. I was planning to have a homebirth (Hospitals scare the living daylight out of me when it comes to normal birth), but wound up with it being unassisted because of how quickly the babies came. Baby A was footling breech and baby B was vertex.

Enjoy your new babies mama and hazzah for ‘Hassan’ being so hands off. That’s how it should be.

Wow Veronica – that’s exactly how my boys were positioned. Was this your first labour and delivery or had your body done this before! My OB scheduled a c-section at 36wks, and if the boys came earlier she was happy for me to labour for a while but was pretty adamant that the c-s would be required. I made it to 38.5wks ultimately and had some contractions but the op was a given. Anyway – you’re inspiring!

And also a big shout out to Hassan the intern – too often we hear horror stories about the dr; it’s great to read something positive.

From one twin mom (mine are 10 now) to another. Well Done!!! My first was head down (6lbs) but my second was a double footling breech (8lbs). Both born vaginally with no meds! We can believe in our bodies!

Sweet friend, I am so out of this world proud of you. I know well that moment of surrender, and this birth story is going to be a perfect guide to many a mama for how to lean into the fear and trust that your body and your babies really will see each other through. Well done, bravo, and welcome to Ollie & Seb, our beautiful baby boys!

I have often noted that twins are born quickly (all sets I have midwifed also); maybe so they can’t be messed with!! (No time for C-section!) So make sure you go into labor, no scheduled day, and it should be fast! Health permitting… Congrats all brave mamas!

Wonderful story! I birthed my daughter all natural and vaginally with no tears and no meds! It’s an amazing journey and experience. Congrats on the natural vaginal birth of your twin boys! Wonderful story!

Many congrats from SD, USA! Lovely end to your self-realization. Praise God for a wise attendant at your birth. 🙂 The hands off approach is clearly an indication that he is indeed a wise man. Blessings to your family~

Wow congratulations, It sounds like you had a good registrar too. Have to admit the pain from the “ring of fire” and actually pushing the babies out sounds awful, but I bet it was so worth it for you. Well done. 🙂

What a great story – wish it were miine (apart from the “ring of fire”!). My twins were born at 38 weeks after going into labour naturally. We knew twin one was breech but this was my third pregnancy and the other babies were born without assistance so we were going for a vaginal birth anyway. Unfortunatley when during labour they discovered she was feet first I ended up with an emergency C section. Not a great thing to be recovering from with new twins and 2 others under 5. It is unfortunate that so many midwifes and doctors are losing the skills to deliver breech babies but I am pleased the hospital I was at were prepared to deliver full or frank breech twins.

What an amazing story! Thank you for sharing it with us. It just goes to show that a womans body is capable of doing anything and it is nice to hear about a doctor who just stands back and lets things happen without interfering. Enjoy your little blessings. They are beautiful 🙂

just wanted to leave a thank you. ive read your story twice now…the first time being when my twin pregnancy was newly discovered, and tonight because im breech/transverse and planning a home delivery…needed some positive double breech tales…hope your family is surrounded in love. xo.

I just read your awesome story, God has us made so perfectly. You did a amazing job, having those boys. I had a breach birth 49 years ago, all went well. Blessings on your family. Thank you so much for your wonderful story.

Amazing story momma!! Yes we can birth! They told me a c-section
with my breech baby too! I said no way! She arrived beautifully too. But I had no ring of fire, just a fierce labor. Congrats to you and all the breech momma that trust their bodies and challenge everyone out there!

I’m pregnant with my first baby and am scheduled for a Cesarean birth on my due date which is this Friday, only because of a breech. I looked into other options here in San Diego, but they’re not many. Very disappointed by it as I had totally prepared for a natural, unmedicated birth and now I don’t even get to try. I could try to labor at home, but so scared, especially since my ‘pelvis is not proven’. The dr’s make me feel as if I’d be putting my baby at risk. I wish they were trained in breech babies – such a disservice! Thanks for your wonderful story!

Great birth story. I’m curious to know if this was in Australia? And in which hospital? Good for you and your babies! I’ve helped a mum birth her twins vaginally, both head down though. (I’m a midwife)

Yes it was in Australia, in Victoria, in the western suburbs 🙂 When I had my youngest babe there 5 months ago I was told the doctor that was so awesome in the twins delivery was no longer working there.